Ahead of the American League Division Series kicking off on Monday, Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said outfielder Austin Meadows is “in a pretty good spot right now” but that the team is holding off on announcing whether he will be on the team’s roster when the ALDS begins.
Meadows has been on the injured list since Sept. 18 with a Grade 2 left oblique strain. The 25-year-old has participated in the team’s workouts in recent days, taking swings against reliever Shane McClanahan on Friday and going through batting practice and outfield work on Sunday.
Cash added that Meadows will get some at-bats against Brent Honeywell on Sunday during a simulated game.
“He’s going through another full workout,” Cash said on Sunday. “Probably a little lighter workout today for everybody. … We want to make sure that he’s running good and that the timing is as good as possible for us to make a decision.”
The return of Meadows would significantly bolster Tampa Bay’s lineup as it squares to face off against the New York Yankees. The 2019 All-Star broke out in 2019, hitting .291/.364/.558 with 33 homers in 138 games, but has struggled in 2020, hitting .205/.296/.371 with four homers in 36 games played.